While Neeraj Pandey's AIYAARY has finally managed to hit theatres today in India, the film has failed to get clearance for release in Pakistan.

The film's premise which is set against the backdrop of Indian Army has proved to be a bone of contention for the neighboring country’s decision to ban the film.

Being an Indian patriotic film, AIYAARY falls next in line for the slew of Indian patriotic films to be banned in Pakistan. The development proves to be a third for filmmaker Neeraj Pandey whose past films BABY and NAAM SHABANA failed to receive a clearance for release in Pakistan.

Both BABY and NAAM SHABANA touch upon the defense and intelligence mechanism of India, a subject which time and again has been disapproved for showcase in Pakistan.

This year it’s the second Indian film that has been banned in Pakistan post Akshay Kumar starrer PAD MAN.

Starring an ensemble cast of Manoj Bajpayee, Sidharth Malhotra, Rakul Preet Singh, Pooja Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Kumud Mishra, Adil Hussain and Vikram Gokhale, AIYAARY promises power packed performances.

Actress Disha Patani, gearing up for the release of her upcoming film BAAGHI 2, says it is tough to cope up with the energy level of her co-star Tiger Shroff.

Tiger is considered as one of the best dancers from the Hindi film industry.

Asked about her experience of dancing along with Tiger in BAAGHI 2, Disha said: "I am very excited for BAAGHI 2. The trailer is coming on February 21, so let's see. I can't wait to see the trailer of our film.

"I had to do lot of hard work because he is very hardworking and to cope up with his energy levels, is very hard. It was difficult, but we share a rapport together, and I managed it."

Disha was present at the Nykaa.com Femina Beauty Awards on Thursday in Mumbai.

On her experience working with director Ahmed Khan in BAAGHI 2, she said: "He is amazing and he is such a darling. Whatever I have performed in the film, iS because of him"

Disha is known for her amazing dancing skills and she combines her dancing with her daily routine of exercise, She keeps posting her dance videos on Instagram and these are well-received by netizens.

"I do it as a hobby. I like dancing and I want to learn different forms of dancing."

Asked about a negative thing she feels she has in her personality, Disha said: "I am socially super awkward but I can fake it well."

Actress Disha Patani, gearing up for the release of her upcoming film BAAGHI 2, says it is tough to cope up with the energy level of her co-star Tiger Shroff.

Tiger is considered as one of the best dancers from the Hindi film industry.

Asked about her experience of dancing along with Tiger in BAAGHI 2, Disha said: "I am very excited for BAAGHI 2. The trailer is coming on February 21, so let's see. I can't wait to see the trailer of our film.

"I had to do lot of hard work because he is very hardworking and to cope up with his energy levels, is very hard. It was difficult, but we share a rapport together, and I managed it."

Disha was present at the Nykaa.com Femina Beauty Awards on Thursday in Mumbai.

On her experience working with director Ahmed Khan in BAAGHI 2, she said: "He is amazing and he is such a darling. Whatever I have performed in the film, iS because of him"

Disha is known for her amazing dancing skills and she combines her dancing with her daily routine of exercise, She keeps posting her dance videos on Instagram and these are well-received by netizens.

"I do it as a hobby. I like dancing and I want to learn different forms of dancing."

Asked about a negative thing she feels she has in her personality, Disha said: "I am socially super awkward but I can fake it well."

Actor Vicky Kaushal, who has built a muscular physique for a new film, believes physical transformation among actors has become more performance-oriented than for vanity purposes.

In the last few years, Bollywood cine-goers have seen actors placing an emphasis on their physical transformation whether it is superstar Aamir Khan gaining weight for DANGAL or National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao losing weight for TRAPPED and then growing a paunch for the web series BOSE: DEAD/ALIVE, or even Ranveer Singh bulking up to play Sultan Alauddin Khilji in PADMAAVAT.

"I think physical transformation is a part of the performance now for an actor. And I see no wrong in that. Gone are those days when a mainstream Bollywood hero will build up a physique only to look good. Perhaps that is why I lost eight kg for my film MASAAN and Aamir Khan gained weight for playing an aged father in DANGAL.

"I think that is the good part of these changing times in our cinema, where everything is happening based on the requirement of the story and not just for vanity," Vicky told IANS here.

The actor has a promising year in store. His first romantic comedy LOVE PER SQUARE FOOT released worldwide on Valentine's Day on Netflix. His Meghna Gulzar directorial RAAZI is ready to release in summer and then he has an Aanand L. Rai movie and Ronnie Screwvala's production URI.

Giving an insight into the physical training he is undergoing for URI, he said: " URI will hopefully go on floors after MANMARZIYAN, where I am playing a commando who is leading a surgical attack. So, the requirement (of the physique) is such."

In LOVE PER SQUARE FOOT, a Netflix original film, Vicky plays a Mumbai boy Sanjay who is searching for his own space in the over-crowded city. It tells the story of how he teams up with a girl and they try getting a house as a couple. Later, they fall in love and face family conflict to get married.

What made him sign the film?

"Well, more than how different the story is, what worked for me was it is close to real nature and is relatable. Two youngsters are struggling to find a space — a house for privacy in a city like Mumbai — is a story that we have seen around us often. But as an audience, I have not watched a film based on that.

"So when the film came to me, I instantly loved the story. There was no second thought about it," he said.

According to Vicky, the struggle for finding a house in a crowded city is quite a universal topic and one that people across the globe will relate to.

"Any country with high population faces the housing problem and space issues. Middle-class people are facing housing problems. Therefore, I think releasing the film on Netflix will not only reach Indians living outside our country but also a global population that can relate to the story," he said.

The movie, produced under Screwvala's home banner RSVP Productions, has taken the non-traditional route of releasing on a digital platform rather than in theatres.

Asked how he feels about the new platform, Vicky said: "I think Netflix is one of the popular platforms now where every second person is watching some show or the other. And most of the Hindi films are getting released on Netflix even after their theatrical release. So, yes, I think it is a great way to reach out to 160 countries with a Hindi language film at the same time."

Directed by Anand Tiwari, LOVE PER SQUARE FOOT also features Angira Dhar, Ratna Pathak Shah, Supriya Pathak, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Raghubir Yadav and Arunoday Singh.

[By Arundhuti Banerjee]

Filmmaker R. Balki, whose latest film PAD MAN is yet to release in Pakistan, says banning the movie means being unfair to women and humanity.

On Wednesday, Balki along with the film's co-producer Twinkle Khanna attended an event for the celebration of its success and to hold a discussion — organised by Unicef and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — on taboos related to menstrual hygiene.

Asked about the countries where PAD MAN got banned, Balki said: "It has been banned only in Pakistan. I think they have their own reasons but I think they are wrong reasons."

"You can't ban a film like this. If you are banning this film, then you are actually being unfair to women and humanity because it's not just because of the movie, it's because of a story of this man's life and what issue its addressing."

Balki also informed that the Middle East has accepted the film.

"Strangely, the film's biggest success is in the Middle East. It's the first film to be screened in Iraq and a country where Hindi cinema wasn't released earlier and are conservative in their outlook.

"I am sure there (Pakistan) will be a lot of public pressure too, to kind of want to see the film because this is not a political kind of stuff. It's a simple film for humanity," said Balki.

Sharing an interaction with a central ministry official about how this film could have become the centre of controversy, Balki said: "Recently, a person from the central ministry met me and said that menstruation is the most controversial subject in India, but it actually had no controversy as a film.

"He pointed out that this film could have had a larger controversy and so many religious and political organisations could have said so many things but they didn't, and they actually supported it."

PAD MAN tells the real life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham and how he came to inventing low cost sanitary napkins for women.

It released on February 9.

Filmmaker R. Balki, whose latest film PAD MAN is yet to release in Pakistan, says banning the movie means being unfair to women and humanity.

On Wednesday, Balki along with the film's co-producer Twinkle Khanna attended an event for the celebration of its success and to hold a discussion — organised by Unicef and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — on taboos related to menstrual hygiene.

Asked about the countries where PAD MAN got banned, Balki said: "It has been banned only in Pakistan. I think they have their own reasons but I think they are wrong reasons."

"You can't ban a film like this. If you are banning this film, then you are actually being unfair to women and humanity because it's not just because of the movie, it's because of a story of this man's life and what issue its addressing."

Balki also informed that the Middle East has accepted the film.

"Strangely, the film's biggest success is in the Middle East. It's the first film to be screened in Iraq and a country where Hindi cinema wasn't released earlier and are conservative in their outlook.

"I am sure there (Pakistan) will be a lot of public pressure too, to kind of want to see the film because this is not a political kind of stuff. It's a simple film for humanity," said Balki.

Sharing an interaction with a central ministry official about how this film could have become the centre of controversy, Balki said: "Recently, a person from the central ministry met me and said that menstruation is the most controversial subject in India, but it actually had no controversy as a film.

"He pointed out that this film could have had a larger controversy and so many religious and political organisations could have said so many things but they didn't, and they actually supported it."

PAD MAN tells the real life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham and how he came to inventing low cost sanitary napkins for women.

It released on February 9.

Actor Rishi Kapoor, son of late filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor, says the current generation still talks about his father's films and so, he is still alive in the audience.

Rishi along with his brothers Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor on Wednesday attended The Raj Kapoor Awards for Excellence in Entertainment event to honour Raj Kapoor.

"It's been 30 years since my father passed away and recently I visited Georgia and Tashkent. Today's generation has the exposure to watch any of Khans' films. They can see Kareena Kapoor or Karisma Kapoor or Ranbir Kapoor's movies also, but why the youth still reacts to Raj Kapoor's films? I also don't understand that," said Rishi.

"They still talk about his films and his films' music, so I feel Raj Kapoor is still alive in today's audience which is amazing," he added.

Raj Kapoor's 1970 film MERA NAAM JOKER released around the time of the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation but after that, political influence in the legendary artiste's films declined.

When asked about it, Rishi said: "I don't think he intentionally made statements in his films. He used to like a story and then make a film out of that story. He always used to give importance to the story in his films."

Talking about Raj Kapoor's passion for making films, Rishi shared an anecdote. He said: "When ‘Mera Naam Joker' was about to release, our studio and all our assets were mortgaged to release that film, and the picture bombed. We were in severe problems."

"Then he made a film called BOBBY with new boy and new girl, which was a huge risk after seeing the failure of MERA NAAM JOKER. But it became super hit and that is when his friends and my uncles insisted him to buy a house," he added.

Eminent filmmakers R. Balki, Ramesh Sippy and Umesh Shukla were honoured at The Raj Kapoor Awards for Excellence in Entertainment.

Actor Rishi Kapoor, son of late filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor, says the current generation still talks about his father's films and so, he is still alive in the audience.

Rishi along with his brothers Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor on Wednesday attended The Raj Kapoor Awards for Excellence in Entertainment event to honour Raj Kapoor.

"It's been 30 years since my father passed away and recently I visited Georgia and Tashkent. Today's generation has the exposure to watch any of Khans' films. They can see Kareena Kapoor or Karisma Kapoor or Ranbir Kapoor's movies also, but why the youth still reacts to Raj Kapoor's films? I also don't understand that," said Rishi.

"They still talk about his films and his films' music, so I feel Raj Kapoor is still alive in today's audience which is amazing," he added.

Raj Kapoor's 1970 film MERA NAAM JOKER released around the time of the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation but after that, political influence in the legendary artiste's films declined.

When asked about it, Rishi said: "I don't think he intentionally made statements in his films. He used to like a story and then make a film out of that story. He always used to give importance to the story in his films."

Talking about Raj Kapoor's passion for making films, Rishi shared an anecdote. He said: "When ‘Mera Naam Joker' was about to release, our studio and all our assets were mortgaged to release that film, and the picture bombed. We were in severe problems."

"Then he made a film called BOBBY with new boy and new girl, which was a huge risk after seeing the failure of MERA NAAM JOKER. But it became super hit and that is when his friends and my uncles insisted him to buy a house," he added.

Eminent filmmakers R. Balki, Ramesh Sippy and Umesh Shukla were honoured at The Raj Kapoor Awards for Excellence in Entertainment.